Cutting edges of Klaf

By Yehoshua -
There is never a shortage of interesting shailos...Someone asked if it's muter to cut out the sides of mezuzah klaf in order to make it look like a "Crown" -- imagine special scissors that children use in order to make the paper look nice with a sort of design. In a way of course that the oisios are not messed up in any way (cut, mukaf gvil, etc.)

Comments

  1. Rabbi Eli GutnickJune 25, 2012 at 10:37 PM

    cuttnig klaf on stam that is already written is itself a contentious issue

    ReplyDelete
  2. BenjaminJune 26, 2012 at 1:22 AM

    On a related issue, I've noticed by megillot and sifrei Torah when it's time to sew the yeriot together that there are sometimes slight differences in size between one section and the next, usually no more than a millimeter or so but sometimes as much as a centimeter. Is it permitted to trim the yeriot to make them even, or should one leave them as they come from the klafmacher?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Rabbi Eli GutnickJune 26, 2012 at 2:50 AM

    I think you cannot, however there may be a difference between stam that has already been used with a bracha and not

    ReplyDelete
  4. Rabbi Eli GutnickJune 27, 2012 at 1:31 AM

    Yehoshuah, can you find out please rav shammais opinion on cutting klaf as well as if there is a nfkah minnah between stam that has not yet been used?

    ReplyDelete
  5. YehoshuaJune 27, 2012 at 1:40 AM

    Even in a case let's say where the parshiyos don't fit into the batim and must be cut down R' Shammai said he's matir. So seemingly STaM that hasn't been used would be more kulo-dik...

    ReplyDelete
  6. UnknownAugust 8, 2012 at 7:43 PM

    The original question here was never answered. What if - before writing - one decided to cut the edge of the klaf in a fancy design, is it alright to do so?

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Klaff Tanning question:

By -
I received this question via email. I am not really a klaf expert, I was wondering if anyone could answer this question:   Dear Rabbi Gutnick,   I am writing to you because a good friend of mine has put the idea into my head that the klaf in my tefillin were not really tanned and therefore are not kosher. He referred me to Megilla 19a re diftera.   From the research that I have done so far, it seems that the klaf that is used today is tanned only with a lime wash. On all of the tanning websites I’ve seen so far, they say that the lime doesn’t accomplish tanning but only the removal of the hair and some other pre-tanning effects.   Would you be able to explain to me or refer me to a website that explains how the tanning process that is used today takes the hide out of the category of diftera?   Thank you very much.    
Read more

Rabbi Reuvain Mendlowitz clarifies his position on Ksav Chabad (and my final thoughts)

By -
Last week I posted some thoughts in response to a public lecture given by Rabbi Reuvain Mendlowitz regarding  Ksav Chabad (the Alter Rebbe's ksav). I felt he did not represent the issue fairly, and since I had received questions about it from a number of people I felt it made sense to write a general response. After I posted my response on this forum, Rabbi Mendlowitz reached out to me by email and we ended up having a respectful and productive email exchange regarding the relevant issues surrounding Ksav Chabad. His position is a lot clearer to me now, and I think he also took certain things on board that I clarified with him. The purpose of the Stam Forum (at least back in it's heyday before all the whats app groups took over)  was to connect sofrim from around the world, to promote achdus and build bridges, as well as to offer support and advice. In that spirit, I felt  I should write a follow up post, to clarify some of the issues and misconception...
Read more